Rune

that's pretty cool, like the wrap handle and bumper spikes

I don't see why not, it'll just cost more on electronic parts surely? bet the m-tronic and auto tune systems cost a bit to replace.

not all of them actually, I just got the 461 rather than the 441 mostly to avoid m-tronic, the 201 also isn't m-tronic, and the 880 isn't yet...

yeah I'll give it a go

cool not had a 25" before, but the 18" on that 280 is pretty old got through a good few chains on it, is the 361 strong enough to run the 25" standard or ported only? wouldn't like to run anything bigger than the 18" on the 280..

won't upload multiple photos from iPhone for some reason

started on a fairly large ash, only got the branches so far though so will do a video cutting some cookies on the main trunk when I get it out, great saw, great looking too

haha I have no idea, I think he wants to show and talk to the rep about it on their next visit. and yeah great dealer, pleasure to do business with.

I'll try might be awhile till I get the biggest one out, which would make the best video as it's probably 25-30" at the base so a full bar length, they're all fallen at the bottom of a steep bank over a river so a bit of work getting them out!

yeah it's the same bar ran the 25 great hadn't done a lot with it though I'll let you know tomorrow got some fairly large ash trees to cut up, here's a shot of the cylinder on the new one for comparison, this one is much smoother doesn't look like it's been attacked with a drill to clean off rough edges and doesn't look like scale is hoping to start flaking off haha...

25" I'll take a photo tomorrow gunna get a sugihara 20" for it at some point too

picked up the new saw today, well pleased can't wait to give it a go tomorrow!

those do look rather nice! love the one on the right in the photo up from the bottom

yeah excellent service from the dealer!! couldn't ask for better! stihl Germany have got back to me from a message I sent them on Facebook asking for details, perhaps they'll sort it with the dealer, to be honest it isn't down to me to deal with stihl, that is what the dealers are there for, so he is very welcome to go after them about it, and I have sent them an email saying how good he has been and how bad they have been.. so we'll see what they have to say for them selves

the dealer has been excellent and is getting me a new one in stihl however annoy me with their attitude.. they are still not giving a new one, the dealer is having to sort it out.. not good.

O1 is pretty basic steel, but it can do most things and takes an edge easily, I like it and it's also very similar (or so I'm told) to the steel gransfors use for their axes, though I believe there steel is specially made for them. by the way go read the page on gransfors under production, about heat treating ect, I emailed them about it but they haven't put it right...

dunno why I'm bothering as I said it'd be pointless and overly expensive/time consuming.. haha but still it's doable if you were that way inclined, IMO.

yeah all true, though with differential heat treat ect a stock removal axe could still be a very good tool, also before you get the steel it will have been hot rolled, making it stronger in the same way as hand forging, O1 is used for making a lot of tooling for metal work, fly press dies, gillotene blades ect if it can stand up to being slammed in to metal I'm sure it can manage wood gransfors also add a carbon steel edge into a much softer body on some of their more expensive axes, the normal ones are just forged from a single piece of steel though.

True in a way, but also it's is totally posable to make an axe that is strong enough by stock removal, however it would cost more than forging it as you say, making the 3d model ect and the expensive machinery needed to do it make it impractical, especially seeing as if you wanted more than 1 or 2 you may as well drop forge as most cheap axe makers do anyway, elwell's big 7lb felling axes were actually cast steel, and those are fine, in fact they are quite sort after, and a machined steel head would be be stronger than those if you use the right steel, something like O1 would be fine. almost all knives these days are made by stock removal, I do both stock removal and forged myself, knives like the ray mears woodlore by alan wood are stock removal, so no forging but very good strong blades the main reason you wouldn't make a stock removal axe is the amount of stock that would require removing I'm planning to have ago at making some axes before long, Hand forged of course I've done a small hammer as practice, came out fairly well if i do say so myself

a well sharpened blade will usually shave the main thing is to not have a burr which is the easy way to get something to shave, but if you sharpen properly with a very fine stone 6000+ grit you should beable to get a very sharp and durable edge, but it won't feel as sharp to the touch as a blade with a burr.

any high quality old axe should get very sharp, another thing people do that messes up the hardness is burning an old handle out.. so could be something like that.

my fist axe was a kent pattern and it always took a good edge and good edge retention too it was really rusty when I was given it and the name had rusted off but by the shape and what is left of the makers stamp I'd say it was a gilpin chip chop.

hmmm could the edge have been messed up by some one in the past? for example using a bench grinder to "sharpen" and over heating it?

kent pattern axes are very good for hedge laying and that type of work, thin blade and quite wide, very good if you are using a billhook but some stuff is too big

I use a number of gransfors axes really like them, been using the large splitting axe quite abit lately